Strainer construction



April 14, 1953 J. B. SMITH 2,634,862

STRAINER CONSTRUCTION Filed July 9, 1947 Q l l I I,

INVENTOR.

' JOSEPH .B SMITH MTOLMO4 HTTO/A/EXi Patented Apr. 14, 1953 STRAINERCONSTRUCTION Joseph B. Smith, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The StandardOil Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application July 9, 1947, Serial No. 759,861 6Claims. (01. 210-165) In pipe systems transporting liquids, as forinstance notably in the case of crude pet oleu strainers are quitefrequently interposed ahead of meters, pumps, etc, and such strainersmust be of high through-put capacity. Desirably also they should beoperable for long periods without necessity of taking down and cleaning;however, with the commonly known strainers, this desirable factor is notobtained. found that customarily only a relatively small proportion ofthe strainer surface is arranged so as to function efliciently, and mostof the stream is directed against a relatively limited proportion of thestrainer surface, and blocking occurs unduly quickly in the operation ofsuch constructions. In accordance with the present invention, however,an efficient distribution and load factor is attained, and withstrainers operating even on large through-put lines there is arelatively long duration of operation before necessity arises fordismantling and cleaning. Additionally, the construction is such as toallow standardization and simplification, and easy replacement andrepair. Other objects and advantages will appear from the followingdescription.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention,then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims, the following description andthe annexed drawing setting forth in detail certain illustrativeembodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but afew of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may beemployed.

I have In said annexed drawing, in which the figures are broken outcentrally on account of space limitations: f

Fig. 1 is an axial sectional view of a strainer embodying the presentinvention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are similar views of modifications; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of another modification, the housingbeing partly broken away in the lower portion, and the right half beingpartially also in axial section.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, a housing 2, illustrated as ingenerally upright position, has an inlet 3 leading to its lower portion,and above the inlet is a strainer basket 4 in communication therewith.Conveniently, the strainer basket may be supported on an annular flange5 carried by the housing wall, and the end of the strainer basket may beprovided a rein forcement ring- 6 and a basal ring I at right anglesthereto, the strainer mesh body being suitably secured to such ring. Agasket or packlow strainer element receives the inf-lowing liq'- uid,which distributes around its entire peripheral surface and passestherethrough. The other end of the strainer basket is closed by a plate9, except for a central opening In which leads to an 1 axial pipe I Iand thence to the outlet I2. Desirably, the plate 9 is secured to areinforcing end-ring I3 which is generally analogous to the reinforcingring 6. From this construction, it is seen that the liquid is requiredto distribute along and through the entire inner periphery of thestrainer basket, and thence passing into the space 5 between the basketand the housing, and thence proceeds to the top of the housing and downthrough the opening I0 tothe outlet pipe II, I2, all portions of thestrainer area being brought into uniform use. For convenience ofassembly, the strainer basket may have a tubular projection I5 whichscrew-threadedly engages the end of the pipe II, and by a bail or handleI6 projecting from the strainer basket, its manipulation in assembly anddisassembly with respect to the pipe I I housing is closed by a plate I!and suitable securing means, as for instance bolts I8. Projecting at oneside is a bracket 20 which may support the cover plate I! when opened byswinging around onto the bracket support, all of the bolts except theone adjacent the support having been removed. As strainers for largesizes of pipes are of considerable size and the cover platescorrespondingly heavy, this particularly facilitates access to theinterior on occasion of cleaning or repairs. A handle 2| the coverplate. At the bottom of the housing, a clean-out opening 22, closed by aplate or leadmg to a discharge pipe if desired, permits convenientremoval of accumulated sediment when desired.

The manner of operation of is apparent from the foregoing, it being seenthat the incoming stream through the inlet 3 is distributed, asindicated by the arrows, and thence proceeding the strainer basket andthe housing, takes its exit through the opening III to the outlet pipe II, I2. By reason of the bafiling effect of the plate 9, equalization offlow without short circuit overload on limited portions of the strainersurface is attained. Furthermore, it is noticed that the constructionpermits of attaining an this construction efiicient velocity ratio inthe flowing incoming I have found that and discharging liquid, and thereis a certain desirable relation which should is facilitated. The top ofthe may be provided on through the space between be provided for bestresults. The leaving velocity is thus greater than the approachingvelocity, and the liquid utilizes an efiective per cent of the screenarea. Desirably, the ratio of cross sectional annular area of thepassageway between the strainer basket and the housing, with respect tothe annular area between the basket periphery and the opening [0, is inthe ratio of 225i10%. And, desirably, the strainer body area is 10-15times the inlet pipe area, so that the entering stream is reduced to /1of its pipeline velocity. This causes the heavier particles to fall tothe bottom of the housing and never reach the strainer basket. Thissediment can be blown out occasionally through the bottom cleanout 22.

Where the liquid is of petroleum character or inflammable, I prefer toemploy a non-sparking metal, such as bronze for instance, as thematerial of the basket ring I, or I may apply a bronze edge to such ringwhere made of steel. In any-event, by elimination of steel surfaceswhere the device might strike against the housing in removing thestrainer basket, possibility of sparks and fire hazard is eliminated.

In the form shown in Fig. 2, the general arrangement of the housing 2aand the strainer basket 4a is the same as foregoing, also the manner ofmounting with the rings Ba, la, on the flange 5a, but the outlet,instead of passing back'through the strainer basket, is centered at Ha,opposite the end of the strainer basket, and the plate 9a closes theentire end surface thereof. Thus, the incoming liquid at the inlet 3alikewise distributes around the inside of the strainer basket and passesto the annular space between the basket and housing and thence to thecentered outlet Ha. Whereas in the Fig. 1 construction the inlet 3 andoutlet l2 conform to a piping arrangement in straight line, the Fig. 2form accommodates a piping arrangement in off-set lines. The bottomcleanout 22a is the same. By a flange connection or the like on theoutlet pipe l2a, the cover plate Ila with such attached pipe section maybe easily removed for access to the strainer basket.

In the-form shown in Fig. 3, the arrangement of the housing 21) and theinlet 32) and the strainer basket 4b with the top closure plate 92) isthe same, and the outlet pipe Hb again is centered over the end of thestrainer basket, but instead of being carried by the cover plate lib ispositioned therebelow, and is removable when the cover plate is off, bya screw-threaded or slip joint connection J to the pipe section l2bcarried by the housing. Again, settlings in the bottom of the housingare removed by the cleanout 22b.

In some cases, by reason of the nature of the conditions for theinstallation, or the size, it is advantageous to construct the strainerbasket in sections separably removable, and the housing may be of apermanent closed character as in Fig. 4, where the housing 20 has aside-access opening 25 with a closure plate l'lc held in position bystraddle clamps 26 on bolts 21 secured to the plate 110, and nuts 23, inthe general manner of access-openings in steam boilers. A suitablegasket is interposed between the margins of the plate I and the marginsof the housing where the overlapping internally of the housing occurs.The strainer basket 40 is made up of a plurality of strainer sections,the number depending somewhat upon the size of the installation, suchsections being held to the foundation by suitable means, as screws 29taking through the strainer sections into the strainer foundation. Thelatter is skeletonized, and many include a ring 3| and tubularprojection 32, and ring 33, to which the ring 34 for the other end isjoined by spaced strip elements 35. A support 36 secured to the housingcarries a tubular extension 37, upon which the strainer basket isscrewthreadedly mounted by its element 32. (In any installation of theforms as of Figs. 2 or 3 where the size and weight of the basket may notbe sufficient tomaintain it in place, a similar tubular extension onthis order carried up from the annular flange below may screw-threadedlyengage the inside edge of the basket basal ring.) When the access plate[1c is removed by the loosening of the nuts 28 and the manipulation ofthe straddle clamps and plate such as to pass the latter out through theopening 25, the screws 29 of the basket sections may be removed, and therespective sections may be cleaned. The screw-threaded mounting on thesupport 3'! facilitates such rotation as is required for access to therespective strainer sections. And, likewise, the strainer sections maybe put into place on the strainer basket skeleton and be fastened bytheir screws 29, the basket being rotated as necessary for such access,and finally the closure plate He is inserted and the straddle clampstightened. Again, the inlet 30 leads to a settling chamber at thebottom, whence settlings may be removed through the cleanout 22c, andthe liquid passing up into the interior of strainer basket distributesthrough its wall, and being prevented from escaping axially on accountof the end plate 90, proceeds on through the annular space between thestrainer basket and the housing and through the centered outlet lflc andpipe I20.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed,change being made as regards the detail described, provided the featuresstated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, beemployed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In a strainer, an upright cylindrical housing, a lateral inlet in thelower portion, a settling zone and cleanout below said inlet, a hollowcylindrical strainer basket in said housing above said inlet and beingbottomless for having its inside in communication therewith anddischarging from its whole periphery, a plate closing the top of saidstrainer basket except for an outlet pipe opening at its center, saidoutlet pipe extending down centrally through the strainer basket and bya lateral turn emerging from the lower portion of the housing inalignment with and opposite the aforesaid inlet, a bolted-on cover plateat the top of said housing, and a bracket laterally of, the top of thehousing whereon said cover plate may be swung around and supported whenloosed.

2. In a strainer having a housing with side inlet and a settling spaceand cleanout therebelow and a strainer basket above the inlet with anopen bottom and a peripheral discharge space between the strainer basketand the housing wall, the combination of a bafiling plate closing thetop of the strainer basket and an outlet opening in the center of theplate with outlet pipe extending thence axially in the strainer basketand out through the housing wall, the cross-sectional annular area ofthe passageway between the strainer basket and the housing wall relativeto theannular area between the basket periphery and the outlet openingin the top plate of the basket being in a ratio about 2:5.

3. In a strainer having a housing with side inlet and a settling spaceand cleanout therebelow and a strainer basket above the inlet wit-h anopen bottom and a peripheral discharge space between the strainer basketand the housing wall, the combination of a bafiling plate closing thetop of the strainer basket and an outlet opening in the center of theplate with outlet pipe extending thence axially in the strainer basketand out through the housing wall.

4. In a strainer having a housing with a side inlet and a settling spaceand cleanout therebelow and a strainer basket above the inlet with anopen bottom and a peripheral discharge space between the strainer basketand the housing wall, the combination of a plate closing the top of thestrainer basket and an outlet pipe to draw ofi centrally from above theplate and extending thence axially of and in the strainer basket and outthrough the housing wall, and rotary-releasable means for positivelyholding the basket including screw-threading of one end.

5. In a strainer having a housing with a side inlet and a settling spaceand cleanout therebelow and a strainer basket above the inlet with anopen bottom and a peripheral discharge space between the strainer basketand the housing wall,

the oombination of a plate closing the top of the a strainer basket andan outlet pipe to draw off centrally from above the plate thenceextending axially of and in the strainer basket and out through thehousing wall, the discharge space between the periphery of the strainerbasket and the housing wall being at least ten times greater than thecross-section area of the basket.

6. In a strainer having a housing with a side inlet and a settling spaceand cleanout therebelow and a strainer basket above the inlet with anopen bottom and a peripheral discharge space between the strainer basketand the housing wall, the combination of a plate closing the top of thestrainer basket and an outlet pipe to draw ofi centrally relative to theplate thence extending axially of and in the strainer basket and outthrough the housing wall, a housing-coverplate and mounting means forlateral-swing opening movement, and support means at the side of thehousing for the cover in open position.

JOSEPH B. SMITH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 72,359 Bassett Dec. 17, 1867 629,376 Leland July 25, 1899854,738 Hass May 28, 1907 1,152,831 Monteagle Sept. 7, 1915 1,331,237Burris Feb. 17, 1920 1,539,910 Parish June 2, 1925 1,673,391 BrubakerJune 12, 1928 1,991,644 Wolters Feb. 19, 1935 2,031,589 Burckhalter eta1. Feb. 25, 1936 2,047,266 Hill July 14, 1936 2,083,005 Czarnecki June8, 1937 2,201,849 Cotterman May 21, 1940 2,253,686 Burckhalter Aug. 26,1941

